Robotic vehicles are increasingly used to provide access, reconnaissance and physical interaction within environments that can otherwise be hazardous to people including first responders, search and rescue teams, police, security forces and military personnel. Hazards can include improvised explosive devices (IEDs), toxic chemical vapors, biohazards, radioactive materials, explosive vapors, and oxygen deprived atmospheres. In numerous applications, there is a need for a robotic vehicle that can negotiate rugged terrain under the control of a remote operator and provide reconnaissance of and communication within an environment that can be hazardous to humans and/or trained rescue animals (e.g. dogs). In one non-limiting exemplary application there is a need for robotic vehicles to aid in reconnaissance and search and rescue missions associated with underground mining accidents. Vehicles are needed that; are able to traverse rough terrain, communicate over both wireless and tethered links, sense environmental parameters of the area they are operating within, provide an audible communication link between trapped personnel and rescuers, and can be adapted to have their electronic (e.g. energized) components enclosed in sealed, explosion proof compartments. In some applications robotic vehicles are needed that can remain mobile when semi-submerged. Vehicles are additionally needed that can perform self-rescue maneuvers in the event communication links to a remote operator are lost.